Time indicating device for watches, clocks and the like



May 19, 1959 E. A. STUCKY TIME INDICATING DEVICE FOR WATCHES, CLOCKS ANDTHE LIKE Filed Sept. 25, 1957 nu/Ma United States Patent TllVIEINDICATING DEVICE FOR WATCHES, CLOCKS AND THE LIKE Eric Adrien Stucky,La Chaux-de-Fonds, Switzerland, assignor to Fabrique Juvenia,Petits-fils de Didisheim- Goldschmidt, a Swiss company ApplicationSeptember 25, 1957, Serial No. 686,053

Claims priority, application Switzerland September 29, 1956 7 Claims.(Cl. 58126) This invention relates to time indicating devices forwatches, clocks and the like, having a center shaft making onerevolution in an hour and an hour wheel sleeve on said shaft. Moreparticularly this invention relates to such time indicating devices inwhich the hands are replaced by disks carrying marks in an attempt toproduce a mysterious effect.

In most of the time indicating devices of this type known in the art,the transparent disks carrying marks either have a small central opaqueportion or are fixed to a visible central shaft or sleeve. In otherknown watches or clocks the central portions of the said disks arehidden behind a small opaque disk or coat of paint applied on the lowerface of the glass. Besides the fact that the apparent shafts and sleevescarrying the marked transparent disks are not esthetic, it has even beenobserved with these known constructions that a mark provided on atransparent disk at the same level or even below an opaque centralportion either of the 'disk itself or of the watch or clock glass doesnot produce the mysterious effect expected.

Some manufacturers have attempted to improve the effect obtained byproviding the watch or the clock with disks carrying time indicatingmarks and having no apparent central portion, such disks being eitherentirely transparent or entirely opaque. Since two marks are required toindicate the hours and the minutes, respectively, the Watch or clock canobviously be provided at most with one opaque disk. The supporting diskof the upper indicating mark must thus be constituted by a transparentdisk. Now if no opaque element shall appear in the center of the disk,the latter must be provided with a toothing at its periphery so that itmay be driven thereby.

In these constructions known in the art, the driving means of the uppertransparent disk consist of extra gears located at the periphery of thedisk. If such gears constitute a complication in a clock, they cannot beprovided at all in most of the watches, since the case-band and thebezel are not large enough to locate such supplementary gears at theperiphery of the time indicating disks appearing in the watch bezel.

It is therefore an object of the invention to improve the timeindicating devices of the type comprising an entirely transparent uppermarked disk (i.e. without any apparent central element), so that themoving time indicating elements can be set on a standard watch or clockmovement without requiring any peripheral extra gear to drive thesemoving elements.

Further objects of the invention will appear in the course of thefollowing description.

Three embodiments of the time indicating device according to theinvention are represented diagrammatically and by way of example in thedrawings annexed to this specification.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a plane view of the first embodiment and Fig. 2 is a partdiametrical cross-section of this embodiment.

Figs. 3 and 4 are similar views of the second embodiment, and

Figs. 5 and 6 similarly show the third embodiment.

Whether the time indicating devices embodying the invention are mountedon watches or on clocks is immaterial and the mechanism on which theyare mounted will accordingly be designated by the generic expressiontimepiece hereunto.

The timepiece shown in Figs. 1 and 2 comprises a standard movement 1,i.e. a movement having a central shaft 2, which makes one revolution inan hour, and an hour wheel sleeve 3 so rotatably mounted on shaft 2 asto make one revolution in twelve hours. The movement 1 is located in acasing 4 and it is protected therein by a glass 5.

The indicating device of this timepiece comprises an opaque minute disk6. On its face visible through the glass 5 this disk 6 carries an index7 and its lower face comprises a central bored portion to fix the disk 6on to the shaft 2. This central bored portion of the disk 6 can eitherbe provided by a blind hole in the lower face of the disk 6 itself, orby a blind hole provided in a central disk portion thicker than the restof this disk. The central bored portion mentioned above can also consistof a sleeve fixed to the lower face of the disk 6 for instance bysoldering.

The time indicating device further comprises a support member 8consisting of a plate 9 and a cylindrical side wall 10. The plate 9 isset on the hour sleeve 3 and the side wall 10 surrounds the disk 6 andextends above the latter. The outer side portion of this side wall 10 isso recessed as to receive a peripheral rim 11 of an hour disk 12. Thedisk 12 is entirely transparent and it carries an hour indicating index13.

When observing the indicating device described through the glass 5 onesees only the index 13 in front of and the index 7 on the uniformbackground constituted by the opaque disk 6, and the effect produced bythis index 13 is quite mysterious. Watch manufacturers themselves havenot understood how this index was held. Until they disassembled thetimepiece they believed that a magnet was holding and driving the index13. The bezel 14 obviously masks the outer edge on the disks.

In a timepiece which is large enough, the same effect can be producedalso with the index 7 by fixing it a certain distance above the visibleface of the disk 6, for instance by means of small invisible pillars orby means of a narrow transparent stay. In small timepieces, on thecontrary, time indicating marks can be provided on the disks 6 and 12 byengraving or by printing.

Although the time indicating device described is thicker than the usualdevices with hands, it will be observed that the whole thickness of thetimepiece is about the same, since the third level occupied here by theplate 9 is compensated by the dial which can be dispensed with.

To assemble the indicating device described the support 8 is first seton to the sleeve 3, then the disk 6 is fixed on to the shaft 2 and therim 11 of disk 12 is eventually engaged in the peripheral wall recess ofthe support 8. It will be observed that the disk 12 can easily beremoved from its support 8 by introducing for instance a knife bladebetween both elements.

The horal graduations usually appearing on the dial may here be providedunder the glass 5 or on the bezel 14.

The second embodiment shown in Figs. 3 and 4 only differs from the firstone by the fact that the support of the hour disk 12 has another form.In the second embodiment the support in question consists of a centralportion 15 fixed on to the hour wheel shaft 3, and of three arms 16extending radially under the disk 6 and having their extremities 17 bentupwards, around and above the assaeaa U disk 6. The arms 16 areresilient and their ends are set in corresponding slots provided in theouter edge of the disk 12.

.In the third embodiment (Figs. 5 and 6) the hour disk support 8 is thesame as in the first embodiment, but the minute disk 6a is not entirelyopaque. It is provided with a narrow annular transparent zone 18 inwhich appear the horal graduations 19 of the dial 20. An alarm hand 21or a reserve power pointer may also appear through the said transparentzone.

While three embodiments of the invention have been described hereabovein detail, it will be understood that various changes in the shape,sizes and arrangement of parts will appear obvious to those skilled inthe art without departing from the spirit of the invention orsacrificing the advantages thereof.

I claim:

1. In a time-indicating device for watches, clocks and the like, havinga center shaft making one revolution in one hour and an hour wheelsleeve on said shaft, the combination of an opaque disk, a mark on oneface of said opaque disk to indicate the minutes, fixing means in thecenter of the other face of said disk so arranged as to secure saidopaque disk to said center shaft, support means fixed on to said hourwheel sleeve and extending below and around said opaque disk, atransparent disk above said opaque disk, a mark indicating the hours onsaid transparent disk and means at the periphery of said transparentdisk to removably secure this disk to said support means.

2. The combination of claim 1, in which said support means areconstituted by a plate and a cylindrical wall surrounding the minutedisk and extending thereabove.

3. The combination of claim 2, in which the outer end portion of saidcylindrical wall is recessed, and in which said hour disk has aperipheral rim located in the recess of said cylindrical wall.

4. The combination of claim 1, in which said support meanscomprise-radial arms havingtheir extremities bent around the minutedisk.

5. The combination of claim 4, in which slots are provided in the edgeof said hour disk to receive the ends of the arms of said support means.

6. In a time indicating device for watches, clocks and the like, havinga dial carrying an horal graduation and being provided with a centralaperture, 3. center shaft passing through said central aperture of thedial and making one revolution in one hour and an hour wheel sleeve onsaid shaft also passing through said central dial aperture, thecombination of an opaque disk having a narrow transparent annular zonethrough which the said horal graduation of the dial is visible, a markon one face of said opaque disk to indicate the minutes, fixing means inthe center of the other face of said disk so arranged as to secure saidopaque disk to said center shaft, support means comprising a transparentplate fixed on to said hour wheel sleeve and extending below said opaquedisk, and a cylindrical wall around said opaque disk, integral with saidtransparentplate, a transparent disk above said opaque disk, a markindicating the hours on said transparent disk and means at the peripheryof said transparent disk to removeably secure this disk to saidcylindrical wall of said support means.

7. The combination of claim 6, in which a moving indicator is locatedbetween said dial and said transparent plate of said support means so asto appear in said transparent zone of said opaquedisk.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS

